VIETNAMNET BRIDGE (Hanoi, Vietnam) 31 August 06 Tam Dao newt may evade extinction
The Hanoi Teacher Training University has successfully bred the Tam Dao newt (Paramesotriton deloustali).
The Tam Dao newt is the only amphibian with a tail found in Vietnam since 1934. It is listed in Vietnam’s Red Book and is threatened by extinction.
So far, this kind of animal has been found only in streams in the Tam Dao mountains and in some places in northern Vinh Phuc, Tuyen Quang and Thai Nguyen provinces.
As they are strange amphibians (having tails when mature), local people often hunt Tam Dao newts to sell to tourists for breeding or to put into wine as a kind of tonic. Consequently, the number of Tam Dao newts is declining rapidly.
In addition, deforestation and the rapid development of tourism have destroyed the habitat of this amphibian.
Scientists at the Hanoi Teacher Training University have successfully bred the Tam Dao newt and they are experimentally breeding baby Tam Dao newts in semi-natural environments in streams and lakes in the Tam Dao region to help them gradually adapt themselves to the natural environment.
Tam Dao newt may evade extinction